Centre
Wildlife Care (CWC ) is a 501c3, non-profit, tax-exempt, licensed
organization
dedicated to
caring for injured, orphaned, sick and displaced wildlife for the
purpose of releasing
them back into the wild. Professional care is provided to over 1500
mammals, birds and reptiles per year. Wild animals are not only
accepted from Centre County, but also surrounding counties, other areas
of the state and other rehabilitators. CWC
also provides educational
programs with live animals to the public. CWC is an all volunteer organization, funded only by donations and receives NO funding from local, state or federal agencies.

Where is CWC?

CWC
is located between Port Matilda and State College at the base of skytop mountain. Pre-release housing
for the
wildlife is located on 15 acres of woods on site and other
locations. Since the primary location is at a
family home, hours are by appointment. If you need help with
a
compromised wild animal, call and we will make arrangements to receive
the animal and provide directions.

Who is CWC?

CWC
is run by volunteers
and is funded solely by donations. The
director and founder, Robyn
Graboski, is a trained and Licensed
Wildlife Rehabilitator and has been rehabilitating wildlife since
1988. Robyn
is licensed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Federal Fish and
Wildlife Service, the Fish and Boat Commission and the USDA.

CWC
is
a home care organization with the primary facility in Port Matilda. CWC
does offer opportunities for individuals to volunteer. Many of our
volunteers
are students from PSU that are majoring in Wildlife or Pre-vet.
Volunteers can
help in various ways. Some help with feeding, medications and cage
cleaning.
Some help by collecting donation of food, toweling and newspaper. Yet
others
help with administrative tasks and by transporting animals to the
Veterinarian for medical care.

Local
veterinarians (especially Animal Medical Hospital and CPVETS in State College) are
generous enough to provide discounted services and supplies, for
wildlife rehabilitation. This is
quite a luxury for our organization and we are very thankful.
Many wildlife rehabilitators must
pay full price for veterinary service. This allows
us to use our limited
funds to
provide a better service for the wildlife.

What is wildlife rehabilitation?

Wildlife
Rehabilitation is the process of caring for orphaned, injured, sick
or displaced wild animals until they can be returned back into the
wild. Their
injuries are usually a result of human influence in some way (e.g. hit
by car, construction, landscaping,
cat/dog caught, shot, poisoned, etc.)

How are animals transported to CWC?

Because
CWC is a volunteer based organization, we usually cannot pick up
animals. We ask that the animals be transported to
the
rehabilitation facility or to our vet Animal Medical
Hospital in State College or CPVETS after hours. Our care takers cannot leave the
facility to pick up animals. They are busy caring for the
animals
at the facility. If you cannot
transport an animal, give us a call and we will "try" to find a
volunteer to help you. However, we cannot guarantee
that we
will be able to find anyone since we do rely on volunteers.
That
is why we urge people to transport the animal ASAP to our vet or to our
facility for care. If it is compromised, then it
should get
help right away. Never feed or water an animal that is
compromised. If you find a person hit by a car, you don't
take
them out to eat...you take them to the hospital. An animal
needs
to be evaluated first and provided medical care and fluids before any
food can be offered.

What is needed to become a wildlife
rehabilitator?

First,
proper permits are required.
Both state and federal permits are
required to handle wildlife. Pennsylvania requires individuals to
submit an application
and pass a test administered by the Pennsylvania Game Commission before
they
can become licensed. If rehabilitators wish to work
with birds,
a federal permit is required because all native species of birds are
protected under the Migratory Bird Species Act.

Wildlife
rehabilitators are required to keep detailed records on all
rehabilitated animals. These records are submitted annually to state
and federal
agencies. In Pennsylvania, continuing education is required to maintain
licensing as a wildlife rehabilitator. In addition,
rehabilitation facilities
are subject to surprise inspections at any time by the PA Game
Commission.

What CWC is not

CWC
is
not an animal control agency
and has no law enforcement or
animal seizure jurisdiction. CWC is not a care or adoption
facility
for domestic animals such as dogs and cats. CWC is not a
political
activist organization and does not engage in efforts to change
existing laws regarding hunting or animal rights issues. CWC
is
not a pest removal service which requires a different permit.

How is CWC funded?

CWC
relies on donations from the general public, fundraising events and a few small grants. Many people
believe that CWC is funded by the state...we are NOT. CWC gets no
funding
from the government and relies on donations and a volunteer staff.